Young Again
by ollieu
Summary: Remus is transformed back into a teenager at the end of OotP. Though he retains his own memory, if the Order don't find a cure, he will start to forget everything and everyone he knew after he was 16. Sent as a pupil to protect Harry at Hogwarts (HBP), he meets an OC, a vile, rich pure-blood Slytherin who seemed to instantly hate him. But is she what she seems? Please review! :)
1. Chapter 1

Begins during the Battle of Mysteries (Order of the Phoenix)

Prologue

He heard her victorious cackle even before the inevitable curse. As he turned, he felt his diaphragm contract as he saw Bellatrix laughing maliciously over Nymphadora's slumped body lying helplessly on the floor. Without a second thought, he charged towards her, sensing his animalistic side immerge as an uncontrollable anger took over him.

"Oh, so now the wolvie boyfriend has come to play!" shouted Bellatrix as Lupin sent a curse towards her. She dodged it before running off towards a dark corridor. Remus chased after her. She was his prey. Playing with him, how dare she.

"Loony, loony Lupin! Ha ha ha! Don't want to end up with a dead girlfriend now, do you?!" taunted Bellatrix , her voice echoing off the cold surfaces. As Remus followed her into the darkness he felt a sudden silence. He abruptly stopped. He couldn't hear her footsteps anymore. But she was here. Somewhere. _Hiding. _

He growled. "Don't you dare turn your back away from me..."

"As if I would," came her playful voice, and without any warning, Lupin felt a curse fly past him, shooting out from the darkness in front of him. The curse hit several glass jars that lay on the stands behind him, causing them to shatter. Prepared to fight back, he was stopped short. He suddenly felt the oddest sensation run down his neck. It soon became apparent that he was drenched from head to toe in something cold, something... Wet? It was trickling down everywhere, and only a mere second later he felt himself start to violently shake, uncontrollably. It wasn't the time yet, it wasn't the full moon... He felt his grip loosen on his wand as it clattered to the floor. He heard Bellatrix cackle in the distance, but he only heard the muffled tone of her voice as she started yelling taunting phrases at him... As he collapsed on the hard floor, he heard distant footsteps approach the corridor, just before a scream... And then everything turned to black.

Chapter 1

Outside a group of youngsters were laughing, becoming rowdier as the minutes passed, clearly drunk. As they slumped towards the black railing of 12 Grimmaud Place, Mad Eye's grip over his staff tightened.

"It's only some youths Mad Eye," came the reassuring voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt from behind him.

"Well, we can never too careful, can we! Especially given the circumstances," mumbled Mad Eye, before turning away from the window to face the Order.

"Is Tonks safely at St Mungo's?" he asked, turning sharply towards Molly Weasley who had just entered the room. She held a wet cloth in her right hand, looking rather distressed but otherwise strong.

"Yes, I sent her with Arthur. I just received his Patronus, she's fine. Severe injuries but they reckon that she will pull through."

Mad Eye let out a sigh of relief before asking hesitantly, "And... How is Remus?"

Molly visibly stiffened before turning away to close the door firmly behind her. She then proceeded to sit on the closest available armchair near her.

"I'm afraid that it is exactly what you suspected Alastor," said Molly, closing her her eyes in defeat.

Not one soul blinked as they watched Molly in horror.

It was Kingsley who broke the silence.

"So what do we do now?" As Mad Eye gave no reply, he turned resolutely towards Molly. "Is he awake?"

"Not yet, but he should probably be coming around soon," she replied, partly relieved that someone was strong enough to speak.

"The first thing we need to determine is if his memories are gone-"

"Oh they won't be gone," interrupted Mad Eye gravely, his real eye glaring at Kingsley while his other still peered outside. The youths had moved away but were still on the street. "He just won't remember anything beyond whatever age he's become."

"Is there no way of reversing it?" exclaimed Molly, finally losing her nerve as she looked at Mad Eye with desperation.

"Maybe. We need to speak to Severus to know for sure."

No sooner did the front door slam shut, before there came the sound of footsteps. A moment later the door opened, and Arthur Weasley walked in, gasping for breath. Behind him was Severus Snape. As Arthur went to hug Molly, asking if she was alright, Severus immediately approached Mad Eye.

"You have no need to tell me, I already know. My concern, at this point, is Remus Lupin."

"He's not doing well," said Mad Eye as he eyed Snape wearily.

"I wouldn't expect him to be. The contents of that jar are, as far as I am concerned, irreversible," said Snape in a monotone voice.

"Are you sure?" asked Molly tentatively, turning her attention away from her husband.

Snape continued as if no one had spoken. "He will not have lost his memories, not at the present." Molly let out a sigh of relief.

"However," said Snape, turning his head sharply towards Molly, eying Arthur's arms around her with an icy coldness, "over a period of time, that of which I cannot possibly determine, he will start to forget. And he will continue to forget until he is left with only the memories that he originally encompassed at the age at which he has now become. The particular liquid that he was _unfortunately _exposed to causes the fracture of time. We were extremely fortunate to gain this information from the Granger girl who described it's effect on a death eater she had stunned. Luckily Kingsley so swiftly removed this liquid from Lupin before it had taken full effect, and he has therefore managed to not become that of an infant or elderly man. He is fortunate."

No one questioned when he had seen Remus.

"Fortunate," scoffed Arthur, staring at Snape incredulously. "He"s going forget everything! All those memories, twenty years worth!"

"That's better than him knowing not one of us now, is it?" snapped Mad Eye.

"There is, however, a possibility..." said Snape softly. Silence filled the room. "We must, however, speak to an unspeakable. This, unfortunately,is near impossible. No member of the Department of Mysteries is allowed to exploit the secrets that lie within it's department, let alone what that jar contained. On the other hand, given that the department has been exposed..."

"But we won't know that for several weeks! The Ministry is in tatters as it is! Now that Voldemort has now "publicly" returned, Fudge will be gone and be replaced by another. The Ministry will be under drastic reformation for war and as such, talking to us is the last thing on it's mind. The Department of Mysteries may even closed down while they concentrate on more pressing matters," said Mad Eye, watching outside the window once more. The youths had disappeared.

"So what happens to Remus?" asked Arthur, surprised at Mad Eye's insecure speech.

"Let me think about that, I'll have an answer in the morning. As for you, Severus, I think it would be wise to talk to Dumbledore about this, as he may have more information. Kingsley, I want you to try and find a member, preferably from the Room of Time, make sure that it's not a _mole_, and inquire after the jar of... What is it?" asked Mad Eye ruggedly to Snape.

"What on earth makes you think that I should know?" said Snape, staring blankly at Mad Eye before turning away, his black robes billowing behind him. A moment later, he was gone. A second later, a muffled teenager's yell was heard.

"Oh, those stupid youths!" growled Mad Eye, leaning toward the window once more.

"I don't think it's them Alastor," said Kingsley in bewilderment, causing Mad Eye to turn sharply towards him. "I think it's Moony."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Where am I? _

That was the first thing that came into his mind. The last thing he remembered he was…. Bellatrix!

With a jolt, Remus sat up, breathing heavily as he stared at his surroundings. He was in his room. Or rather, Grimmaud Place. Had he survived? But what of the others, and Harry! As he turned to get up, he glanced at the mirror before rushing towards the door. Just as he was about to open it, he froze. He turned backwards, almost mechanically, slowly looking up at the mirror once more. He felt himself hyperventilating. No, he had died, no, it was a dream, just another horrible nightmare. A young boy was staring back at him, one that he knew all too well. He looked down at his skinny arms, sudden nostalgia hitting him as he saw how much smoother they were, he reached his hair, still thick and not thinning… No, this was a dream.. A DREAM! Then….. why did it feel so real? He grasped his right arm with his left, and roughly pinched himself.

"Ow!" he said hoarsely. The skin was now red. He looked up. Youthful eyes stared back, still inexperienced but nevertheless weary. There were dark circles under his eyes, he always had that, but he looked less… well, scruffy looking. He looked closer at his reflection. It gazed back skeptically . At least his nose was the same. Such details in a dream… Was it a dream? His eyed visibly widened.

He yelled.

Seconds later, a group of people burst into the tiny room, making Remus jolt for the second time. The Order, to be precise, with looks stretching from concern to shock to horror to utter bewilderment.

"Wh-at?" whispered Remus, jumping at the sound of his voice. Why was it so…. young?

"My advice is to just take it slowly dear," said Molly, giving him a reassuring smile. Dear? Molly only ever used that term on Harry or Ron-

"What's happening to me?" he asked abruptly. When they all hesitated, he turned resolutely towards Mad Eye.

"Alastor?"

"You've had a cock up with a time reversing potion. You're-"

"Sixteen. I.. feel sixteen….." said Remus with surprise, his voice acting at it's own accord. He stared back down at his hands. They weren't quite as big, nor grazed as they used to be. Or rather, were. But then, they were like that before because he was himself... What?!

"You mean I've-I've-"

"You're sixteen. Your body has, to put it simply, become young again," said Mad Eye, his stare not wavering.

"How long have I been like this?" prodded Remus, as Molly turned away, unable to observe his look of absolute bewilderment.

"About five hours," said Mad Eye.

"Why am I not at St Mungo's? Why am I here? Where's Sirius?"

Nobody replied.

"Take it slowly Remus," started Kingsley, but Remus cut him off.

"Where's Sirius? Where is he? Alastor, where is he?"

"Moody, don't," said Kingsley gravely. "He's not ready in the state that he's in."

"The sooner the better," replied Mad Eye gravely. "Remus, I'm so sorry. Sirius was killed. It was Bellatrix."

….

A couple of days after his awakening, they informed him of the unlikely hood of finding a cure. They also told him about the memory loss he would suffer.

"You're saying that even the things that I'm learning now, I'll forget?"

"Yes. We don't know why but memories linger, they don't go away so quickly. So while your brain is sixteen, you retain a bigger amount of information," said MadEye as the Order settled down for their meeting.

"Thirty six years worth to be precise," said Kingsley. "So it cannot retain it-"

"How long? How long have I got?" asked Remus, staring at the kitchen table bleakly.

"That's the thing, we don't know," said Tonks hesitantly, turning away as she felt tears in her eyes.

"But we won't rest until we find a cure," said Mad Eye firmly. "Dumbledore's working on it, as is Severus. He's trying to convince an unspeakable to give him more information. We just need a little more time. But for now, we need you to be around those that we feel, collectively as part of the Order, you _cannot_ forget. At least for as long as top of that list is-"

"Harry, of course. I know Mad Eye," sad Remus as he glanced at Tonks, who was silently leaving the room.

"Which is why I've decided, this includes Dumbledore mind, that you should stick with Harry at Hogwarts during his sixth year. Now that the dark lord is back, Harry will need extra protection and you'll be exactly what he needs. You will pose as a transfer student from Durmstrang and be placed in Gryffindor. You will be in the same dorm room, taking the same classes. No one knows what a young Remus Lupin looks like apart from some of the teachers, so nobody should suspect a thing," said Mad Eye.

"As much as I agree with you Alastor, it is impossible for me to return to Hogwarts. I resigned my post as their DADA teacher two years ago and for very good reason-"

"If you're talking about your personal problems then I needn't worry. Dumbledore was prepared, he thought you would say something like this. He has told me in advance to let you know that you should have no worries what so ever. The shrieking shack is still fully functional and aurors will be situated all around the castle as students protection. You managed for eight years there Remus. I think you can manage another."

It was clear that Mad Eye was not suggesting anything. Dumbledore had _ordered _for him to come back. He would do his best to protect Harry.

After this briefing in the kitchen, Remus walked quietly upstairs into the tapestry room. He found her where he's suspected she'd be. Cooped up on the sofa, crying.

"Tonks," he said gently, approaching her.

"Don't," she said, her voice guarded. "Don't tell me that it's just another reason for me to stop loving you. It doesn't work that way. You can't make me stop."

Tonks stood up, wiping away her tears roughly before striding towards Remus. He was only slightly taller than her but she was beyond caring.

"I will find a cure, I promise you that. I will never stop till I do, and nor shall I stop loving you Remus. Remember that," she said, staring at him determinedly through bloodshot eyes.

And without another glance, she left.

He slumped on to the sofa, and sighed heavily before letting his head fall into his hands. He had caused her to become enveloped in an even thicker cage than before.

…

That had been a month and a half ago, and all of a sudden he found himself being given private tuition from Mad Eye on how to act like a teenager which wasn't helping at all, lectures from Molly, and soon afterwards was on the Hogwarts Express again. Tonks had been busy all the while, trying to find a cure. He had not seen her once since that day, and had felt deep regret in not stopping her then to… He forced it out of his mind. He had to concentrate on Harry now. It was strange, seeing the ruby red train again, and a sense of painful nostalgia entered his chest, making it hard to breath as he climbed on board. Students ran past him, not suspecting a thing. Not seeing who he really was. It felt severely weird. He felt….. young again?


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Thank you everyone for the reviews and follows etc. I really appreciate it! Completely unrelated to this fic but here is something to look at if you don't know it already. watch?v=Fv80DLlUwNQ Also check out the Alohomora podcast (itunes) to keep Potter alive!

Chapter 3

As the Hogwarts Express started to move, Remus finally spotted the cabin room in which Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting. As he opened the door, Ron and Hermione's concerned expressions disappeared. It seemed as if he had interrupted a rather heated discussion.

"Um, sorry but if you don't mind, could you sit somewhere else? We're having a bit of a private conversation," said Ron hesitantly, giving an apologetic shrug.

"It's Remus Ron!" said Hermione with a irritated frown, annoyed at his blatant ignorance.

"Remus?" said Ron with shock, looking sharply towards the boy, who was hunched under the doorframe due to his height, with more concentration than before. "Bloody hell it is! You gave me a shock Remus!"

"Well, for that, I apologize sincerely. I quite forgot that I look like a teenage boy now," said Remus with a warm smile, which the three mirrored whole-heartedly. The moment abruptly stopped however when a boy's shout was suddenly heard from down the train.

"Who was that?" asked Harry urgently, but Remus had already darted out of the carriage towards the commotion. Not surprisingly, groups of Slytherins were huddled around one compartment, sniggering and whispering sarcastic comments. The blinds were shut however, so only voices could be heard.

"Move," said Remus sternly, and as the Slytherins glanced at his clothes, which bore the sign of Durmstrang, they surprisingly walked away, although scowling and calling him inappropriate names as they did. The school must have left quite an impression during the Triwizard tournament, thought Remus with amusement.

As he slid the compartment door open, the first thing he saw was a scared Ravenclaw boy sitting on one of the seats, an expression of terror etched on his face.

"I told you, I was aiming the Dungbomb at my friend, not you!" he wailed, his hands held up as a shield. Malfoy no doubt was behind this, thought Remus. But as he glanced at the wand that was pointing at the boy, he heard a merciless snigger, which made him turn sharply towards the Slytherin. It wasn't Malfoy. It was a girl.

She wore an expression of absolute hate. She wanted to punish this poor boy and severely, that much Remus could tell from her body language. She was fuming, dangerous and he had to stop it.

As the compartment door opened fully, she turned sharply towards the intruder. She froze with mild surprise. She did not know this boy. Tall, sandy hair which fell into his eyes, scruffy appearance, scars across the face with that calm and concerned sort of expression which she hated and… Amber eyes?

"What do you want," she hissed, aiming his wand at him.

"Well, for a start you can lower your wand. There's no need for any of that in here," said Remus collectively as he examined her more closely. She might as well have been a Malfoy; judging by her immaculate appearance she was from a pure blood family, with an air of egotistical pride. She needn't speak more than four words for him to pick up on that. Only her blond hair seemed misplaced compared to the rest of her carefully controlled appearance; slightly wild, long and cascading around her like an untamed animal. But she had all the typical romantic features which people usually described as "beautiful"; the high cheekbones, petite mouth, small nose and so on. Only her eyes where slightly different to the typical Malfoy: they were an enchanting violet, a colour that he hadn't come across before. At the moment however, they were contorted in ugly disgust.

"What are you, a teacher? Don't stick your big nose up at me, telling me what to do. You clearly don't know who you're dealing with," she scoffed, not lowering her wand an inch, glaring at Remus.

"Apologize to him," said Remus, unaffected by her taunts, nodding towards the frightened boy, who was looking up at him with mesmerized eyes.

"Not a chance," she said with a snarl. "Now get out before I have to start hurting you too. This is none of your business."

A dreary, tense silence filled the room as neither party responded. Remus didn't move. Neither did she. The boy was torn over what to do. Finally, he sighed disappointedly at her stubbornness, telling the Ravenclaw to leave. He didn't need telling twice. As the girl's elegant eyes widened in surprise and fury, Remus brandished his own wand at her to shield the victim as he left.

"Why you-" started the Slytherin, turning towards Remus, but was interrupted by Professor Slughorn who was conveniently passing their compartment.

"Oh, Felicity there you are- what in heavens are you doing! Please put those wands away, lessons and revision ought not to start till tomorrow my dear!"

Remus immediately turned around at the sound of Slughorn's voice, and upon seeing his confused expression, no doubt trying to work out whom he was, he excused himself quietly from the compartment, giving the girl a stern look before returning to Harry, Ron and Hermione's compartment.

"Familiar face," said Slughorn to himself, staring at Remus' retreating figure. "But I can't seem to put a name to it. Anyway, Miss Mountbatten, I was wondering if you could join me in my compartment along with the other guests for a very brief meeting about our upcoming club dinner?"

"Sir, who was the ridiculous person who was here just a minute ago?" asked Felicity through gritted teeth. She knew, the minute that she had laid eyes on him, that he would be her worst enemy. He infuriated her to the core. And he was going to pay for humiliating her. It was only later when her anger had slightly subsided, sitting in the compartment with her other friends, that she realized that he had not exposed her to Professor Slughorn. This stumped her slightly. Why? Idiot. Probably thought he would get in trouble as well. But she still wondered… What was his motive?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews, I hope they keep coming!

As Remus left the train platform, he felt a little disgruntled. Harry was no where to be seen on the train, and though Ron and Hermione had convinced him that he had probably already left, he was still not happy about leaving the express train without a final search. As they got on a carriage and the thestrals started moving, Hermione noticed Remus' look of worry etched on his face.

"I'm sure he's just with Luna Remus, he'll be okay," she said, but her voice was lacking in conviction. In truth, she was a little worried too.

"He's fine," said Ron casually, before looking up at the castle. "Wow! It's not raining so we can really see the castle clear from here!"

And when no one gave a reaction to this, he prodded, "Did you notice all those aurors at the entrance? They really are tightening up security aren't they?"

Remus looked back towards the entrance, which now looked rather small.

"Speaking of security, I ought to have searched that train. I'll catch you up later," he said abruptly, before leaving the two of them, jumping off the carriage.

"Ok," said Hermione a little nervously, but Remus had already turned around, sprinting back down towards the entrance.

"It's weird, isn't it?" said Ron quietly, "seeing Remus looking so _young._ He looks fairly good now, appearance-wise, don't you think?"

"Ron!" scolded Hermione as they turned around a corner.

...

He smiled in hidden appreciation as his legs ran effortlessly down the path. No adult could deny that youngsters had a couple perks that had to be envied. As he approached closer towards the entrance, he notices that another figure was walking the same direction as well. At the sound of his footsteps, the figure turned around. It was Tonks. Except…. Lupin felt his momentary adrenaline fizzle out as he observed her appearance. Mousy-coloured hair, her complexion very pale and her tired and worn out posture spoke anything but of her usual vivid and lively self. To put it bluntly, she looked terrible.

"Tonks," said Lupin, his voice faltering.

"Hello Remus," said Tonks, staring roughly above his head.

"I didn't realize that you were one of the aurors-"

"I tried to convince Kingsley to put someone else on. I wanted to help you Remus, not observe you walking around Hogwarts as a student," said Tonks desperately, her eyes contorted in anguish.

"Don't worry, Mad Eye will sort out that out," said Remus reassuringly, giving a weak smile. He couldn't stand the sight of her, to think even for a second that he was the reason behind her terrible appearance. He bet that she hadn't eaten in days.

"How can I not worry!" said Tonks, staring at Lupin incredulously. "Do you think that after your silly little speech that I would stop loving you?!"

Silence filled the air as Remus stared at Tonks, hopeless as he wondered what to do. After a moment however, he collected himself before saying,

"Have you seen Harry?"

He was staring at the ground, imagining Tonks' crest fallen face.

"I was about to go get him," said Tonks in a low voice.

"So was I," said Lupin, looking up. Tonks was expressionless, lifeless. No, this was worse than seeing disappointment. Much worse.

"Well, you leave Harry to me. Dumbledore wants to see you anyway, so you'd better hurry up and go," said Tonks quietly, no longer looking at Lupin, walking down towards the entrance.

Lupin sighed. He couldn't live with himself. But then he remembered; he had to protect Harry. Dumbledore trusted him. Forget about everything else, and just listen to him. Protect Harry, that's why you're here.

…..

As he entered the Great Hall, it was apparent that the first assembly had already gone right underway. Sudden nostalgia hit him as he walked past students talking about their various summer holidays. He remembered when Sirius would boast about staying with James' family. He had felt a little bit left out, but he did not mind. There were obvious reasons why he couldn't…. As he spotted Hermione, who was in the process of shouting at Ron who was meanwhile scoffing jelly down his throat, Remus noticed that Dumbledore had been observing him from the far end of the hall. He gave a short nod towards the Headmaster before sitting down. He would talk to him later.

…

"Uh, acid pops," muttered Lupin as he stood in front of the gargoyle guarding the way to Dumbledore's office, the password which McGonagall had given to him as he was leaving the Great Hall after the assembly. To his great relief, Harry had appeared, but also bleeding, which he refused to give an answer to, but no doubt Tonks might be able to enlighten him about later. _Tonks. _

"Correct," mumbled the gargoyle as it revealed the spiral staircase. As he reached the top of the staircase, which revolved around itself, he was surprised to see the door already open, Dumbledore standing at the doorway. Lupin eyes glanced over his appearance, widening slightly as they took in Dumbledore's blackened and wounded hand. The Headmaster looked tired, reminding him strangely of himself. Before his transformation… He always seemed somehow more intimidating and taller than he had previously thought.

"I'm so sorry, am I late?" asked Lupin, tearing his glance away from Dumbledore's injury to check his worn-out leather watch.

"Oh no, not at all, I was just making sure that er- well, you'd better come in Remus," said Dumbledore, turning around and walking back into his office. It was the same as it had been the last time he had seen it. It reminded him of when he had taught Harry about the patronus.

"I'm afraid that I might be expecting some Ministry workers Remus, so this will have to be brief," said Dumbledore apologetically as he sat down behind his desk.

"The most alarming news has just reached me. Last night, a Ministry official by the name of Mr Mountbatten was kidnapped, right from the middle of the Ministry, right under their noses!" said Dumbledore incredulously.

"How?" asked Lupin, frowning while silently wondering what this to do with him….

"Well, that is the question isn't it? They don't know. What they do know however, is who did it," said Dumbledore gravely, staring at Lupin. Remus felt a cold chill run down his spine. The directness of Dumbledore's eyes irked him slightly.

"Morsmordre," muttered Remus.

"Exactly," said Dumbledore.

After a moment, Remus stammered, "And, er, what does this have to do-with me?"

"Oh, of course!" said Dumbledore, as if his mind had been somewhere else, which it probably was. "He has a daughter, a certain Felicity Mountbatten in Slytherin house who I fear for," said Dumbledore carefully.

Lupin felt sudden dislike within him upon hearing the name that it even surprised him.

"What has she to do with me," said Lupin icily, which made Dumbledore blink several times, slightly surprised. Lupin was rarely cold towards someone he not doubt hardly knew. Although Dumbledore could partially understand the psychology behind it..

"I understand now that you know the lady in question?" asked Dumbledore expectantly.

"Yes," said Remus abruptly, looking outside across the grounds where McGonagall was hastily ushering a group of children inside.

"Right, well, that just makes it easier then. I know she can seem difficult, perhaps cruel at times, but she is not one to immediately dismiss as a cold-blooded purist," said Dumbledore warmly.

"Well, you seem to know a lot about her," said Remus bluntly.

"Indeed, she is from a well-known family. The Mountbattens, like the Mafloys and Blacks are a well-known pure blood family. Most have been Slytherins and become well-respected Ministry officials. Some of them have ended up in er, well on the _other _side, but on the whole, there are good people. The current family is at least. Mad Eye is heading an operation to try and find Mr Mountbatten. My concern is they may try and target Miss Mountbatten also, which is why-"

"You want me to keep an eye out for her, is that it?" finished Remus, eyebrows raised. "She's a fairly head-strong girl, not afraid to put up a fight, I'm sure she'll be fine, if anything she would be one their si-"

"Remus! You are not telling that you have already been caught up fighting with her?" said Dumbledore, frowning.

"Afraid so," said Remus, keeping his head down, slightly ashamed. He felt like he had been caught doing something stupid with Sirius or James.

"Oh," said Dumbledore, the tone of his voice slightly altered, as if he had suddenly remembered some distressing news. This made Remus look up at the Headmaster.

"What is it?" prodded Remus, while Dumbledore sighed in anguish.

"Another thing, Remus. Please, please be careful to remember who you are."

"What do you mean?" asked Remus, puzzled.

"Remember that you are not, I repeat, not a sixteen year old boy. You are an adult. I can already see the effects happening. Please remember. Make sure that those who know who you are also do not forget that. Especially Harry."

"Yes, Professor," said Remus, standing up as he sensed the conversation coming to a close.

"So, Miss Mountbatten-"

"Why though?" interrupted Remus. "What would they want with a Ministry official now, and his daughter? What has she to do with anything?"

As Dumbledore prepared to answer, a loud knock came from the door.

"That will be the Ministry people. I'm sorry Remus, but that will have to be all for now. But remember what I said, please _remember._"

But as the officials came in, giving Remus a disapproving look, as if he no business to be there, he suddenly realized just how hard that was going to be. He wasn't completely sure, but he swore that Dumbledore wanted him to find out for himself, the very answers to the questions, which he had asked him. What was so crucial about Felicity Mountbatten?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The following morning Remus was woken up by the sound of acute yelling and gasps coming from across the room. As he jerked up, eyes closed, he automatically grabbed his wand, a habit that had stuck ever since he had joined the Order. It was one of the first things that Moody had ever taught him. _Always have the wand,_ he used to say. _Without it, you're nothing. _

Luckily, there were no deatheaters in the room. As Remus blinked several times, he gradually came to realize that he was not in some dingy old cottage but his old boarding room at Hogwarts. Sudden nostalgia hit him as he glanced to the side and saw James slowly getting up, grabbing the air in front of him blindly, looking for his glasses.

"Ron, you tell those spiders that they can dance by themselves," said Ja-. Wait, hang on, James wouldn't say that.

As Remus rubbed his eyes, Harry Potter came into focus, who had noticed that Remus was awake.

"Good morning Remus. Sorry about Ron. He often gets these spider nightmares, almost as bad mine."

"Oh, right, I see," said Remus, still slightly displaced, confused between his past and reality. "You'll have to forgive me Harry. For a moment there, I thought that you were James."

Harry immediately smiled in reaction to this sleepy comment, trying to hide his pride. By now the others boys were groggily awake.

"What time is it?" mumbled Neville.

"It is," said Remus, checking his worn-out leather watch. "Oh dear... Eight forty five. I'm afraid that we won't be able to have breakfast this morning."

...

Potions was their first class and as Remus burst into the dark, lowly-lit room, he sighed in relief upon seeing that Slughorn had yet to arrive. He had only really taken Potions because "Felicity Mountbatten" was allegedly in the class. And it wasn't hard to spot her.

But before he had time to approach her, Remus came face to face with Draco Malfoy.

Bracing himself, he prepared for Draco's worst.

"You're from Durmstrang, aren't you?" said Draco, his expression that of analytical thought.

"Yes," said Remus, with a slight smirk. Oh, this was going to be fun.

"My father was going to enroll me there actually," said Draco, his chin jerking up slightly. "Much better than this place. It's really gone to the dumps. Maybe if I had gone to your school..."

"It is not easy to enroll at the Durmstrang Institute," said Remus sturdily.

"No, of course not," said Malfoy feebly, looking back at him with bitterness. It was not, however, bitterness that was aimed at Remus. It was of jealousy and regret.

"Mr Lupin," came a shaky voice from behind. Remus turned his observant look away from Malfoy, turning towards Horace Slughorn, who had just entered the room. His eyebrows were raised.

"You must be Professor Horace Slughorn, the Potions master," said Remus, sticking his hand out. "I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance."

As the students stared at him in surprise, he heard a little snigger from behind him. He could guess who it was without even looking.

"Pleased to meet you, er, I beg your pardon but what is your name boy?" asked Slughorn, still oblivious to who he was talking to.

"Lupin, sir. Remus Lupin," replied Remus with a knowing smile.

Slughorn's eyes widened. Oh. So that's who he was.

"Oh, I say. Yes, I've heard all about you, yes indeed. Well, hmph, here is a lesson to all of you." Slughorn was now addressing the whole class. "Ability, knowledge, talent... these are all very amiable qualities. But what must come first and foremost is manners. You have set a very good example Mr Lupin. Never dismiss the importance of a simple "please" and "thank you"."

Miss Mountbatten was still sniggering in the background, and unfortunately, (or fortunately in Lupin's case) this did not go by unnoticed.

"Miss Mountbatten, I see that you find this highly amusing. Either that, or you fail to see fine qualities which, I am afraid to say, you seem to be lacking at this present moment. Perhaps it might be wise to have Mr Lupin sit next to you for the duration of this class so that you may learn perhaps from his example?"

To this, Lupin smiled. Felicity scowled.

Not bad, for a first lesson.

...

"So," said Remus slowly, as Felicity Mountbatten sat down beside him, who then began the most infuriating process of holding a knife and trying to stab a jumping bean in front of her.

"Don't talk," she said bluntly, refusing to look at him. A pep talk was the last thing she needed. She was in no mood to explain her behaviour.

"Ok," said Remus lightly, eyebrows raised. After a moment's silence however he said, "You know, I still can't figure out why you were so determined to be hateful towards that boy."

"I'm not hateful," retorted Felicity with such ferocity that it seemed a little over the top.

"Well, if you're usually like this then god knows what you're like when you are," said Remus with a smile, staring back at her with amusement. He had realized while watching her approach his desk that Mountbatten had absolutely no idea who he was. This gave him a certain amount of confidence, knowing that he didn't need to worry about being uncharacteristically extrovert. There was no need to be his usual reserved self. There were no risks.

Upon meeting his warm glance, Felicity immediately bowed her head back down to concentrate on the silly little bean that was jumping around on her cutting board. _Just keep it together... Don't break, not here, don't break! _

"I heard your father was kidnapped," said Remus suddenly, out of the blue.

"What?" snapped Felicity. "Where did you hear that?!"

"The Daily Prophet. Don't you know that it was published?" said Remus with a frown. His Draught of Living Death was not at all going well; so far it was still green sludge. He was, quite frankly, more concerned about how to get around Mountbatten. He needed to know more about her. But this was proving hard. Extremely hard, given the fact that he felt like a massive protego charm had been cast between them, making it nearly impossible to have any sort of proper conversation.

"No, I didn't," was her only answer.

"Well, I'm sure that the aurors will find him soon. Dumbledore apparently was really concerned and is doing his utmost to help. If you don't mind me asking-"

"I do," said Mountbatten sternly, looking very grave.

The darkness that lay in her expression was such that Remus had to revert his eyes to avoid becoming severely depressed. It was clear that there was no way of getting around her. There was pain in her eyes, a sort of pain that was scarily familiar to him. It wasn't just grief over the loss of a parent, there was something else going on. She was hiding something. Something that she desperately didn't want anyone to know about. Something she was _ashamed_ of. As Remus pondered over his thoughts and the dark aura that he felt at his side, the lesson drifted by and soon he found himself standing by his disaster of a potion which Slughorn merely stared at with a sort of vague expression.

"Well, well, Harry," said Slughorn. "Why, it is perfect!"

He was staring in adoration at Harry's potion now; the leaf which he had dropped moments before had been completely burned.

As they left the classroom, Harry clearly happy upon receiving his "Liquid Luck", Remus was prevented from following Mountbatten out to the hallway_ yet again_ by Malfoy.

"Have you met Mountbatten?" he asked eagerly.

"Sorry?" said Remus with irritation, staring out of the classroom, where Mountbatten was marching off towards a portrait door. What was it Malfoy wanted?

"You should meet him, he's crazy about Durmstrang, especially Grindelwald," said Malfoy.

"He?" repeated Remus, his gaze reverted back to Malfoy.

"Yeah, as in Felicity Mountbatten's brother."

"She has a brother?!"

"Yes," said Malfoy, staring at Lupin with a quizzical look. "He's also in Slytherin. Shame that you didn't manage to join us, but it's not really your fault. You were put in Gryffindor by Dumbledore weren't you? Anyway, he really wants to meet you, so maybe you could have a talk with him, if you see him."

Without giving Remus anytime to reply, Malfoy turned and walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Remus was not one to question Dumbledore, but he found it profoundly strange that he did not inform him about Felicity's younger brother. Why would he not mention him, especially given his obvious interest in the dark arts. Remus pondered over whether Dumbledore had done this deliberately, but he eventually accepted that he would have to talk the brother himself. It was important to get as much information about Felicity and her family as he could from her brother; it was something that none of the aurors could possibly do.

"So… he went to Durmstrang right?"

Madison, who was Felicity's brother, and Draco Malfoy were walking through the wooden bridge, discussing Malfoy's encounter with the new student in potions class.

"Yeah, that's right. Proud sort of guy but I think he'll be handy," said Draco, stopping to turn and look past one of the windowpanes towards the Black Lake.

"I wouldn't be so easy to accept him Malfoy," said Madison, his handsome face frowning wearily, his coarse dark hair blowing violently in the wind.

"Why do you say that?" asked Malfoy, befuddled. "I wouldn't be able to tell him anything about my plans but-"

"I say this because of my sister," said Madison gravely, cutting Malfoy off. "He looked interested in my sister, right?"

"Yeah, but what has that got to do with anything?"

Madison stood, his expression guarded. Could he tell Malfoy? No, no he couldn't, it would be too risky….

"She's a threat to you," said Madison. "She's my sister, always will be, but I'm sorry to have to tell you that she's not on your side."

"But she hates everyone, including Lupin," retorted Malfoy in frustration, staring at his friend incredulously. "What has she got against me? She's a Slytherin, her _father's-_"

"You don't know her like I do," said Madison bluntly.

"What do you mean by her- oh, Lupin!"

Remus was walking towards them, looking as casual as he possibly could. It was hard to make out their faces because it was nearly dark. What was Madison hiding from Malfoy?

"Hello Malfoy," said Remus with a curt nod.

"Lupin, this is Mountbatten, Madison Mountbatten," said Malfoy.

"You're the one who's interested in Durmstrang, is that right?" asked Lupin, trying to make conversation.

"Yes, when I was young my parents considered sending me and my sister to Durmstrang but it did not materialise," said Madison, eyeing Lupin up and down, assessing him.

"I see, because of the war I presume?"

"Indeed - you speak very good english, for a foreigner," said Madison, his dark eyes piercing Lupin's lighter ones.

"I'm half English, on my mother's side," said Lupin. _Yes, my mother was a very British, but you wouldn't have liked her. A muggle._

"I see," said Madison. "Malfoy said that you seemed surprised that Felicity had a brother-"

"Yes, well she just seemed like a rather closed off sort of person, rather independent. To me it seemed as if she had 'only-child' stamped across her forehead," said Lupin before laughing, trying to make it as spiteful as possible.

"Yes, well I'm afraid my sister has always been like that," said Madison hastily. "Sorry, I have to get going. Snape's hoarded me with ridiculous amounts of homework."

"Oh, alright," stammered Malfoy. "See you later then Lupin."

Remus felt even more confused than before. He had come to get answers from her brother, but so far he hadn't got a lot, apart from the fact that this guy seemed to be over suspicious about everyone, even his own sister it seemed. He obviously knew more, but specifically he knew something bad. Something _really_ bad about Felicity.

….

A couple days passed but Remus saw no difference in Felicity's behaviour, and they continued to sit next to each other in silence. Slughorn had placed her next to Remus yet again when she had sniggered when Remus was preoccupied staring at Harry, who seemed entirely engrossed in his textbook, which he swore he saw sometimes poking out from Harry's duvet. Unfortunately this had caused Remus to blow up his potion in his face, which made Felicity snigger nastily. Or so it seemed to Slughorn. Once again, Felicity scowled.

One day however, that changed. It was during lunch time, when he had spotted Felicity marching by herself towards the boathouse. As he waved and called out her name, she immediately stiffened, a look of incredulousness on her face before speeding away, far too abruptly for him to chase after her. Anyway there were loads of people around, and he didn't want students to be pinning him down as a pervert. Oh wait, I look like them. That's right, I'm not Professor Lupin, nor am I in my thirties. Well, I _am _but I'm not. Uh. Recently he was finding it really hard to gear his brain properly between sixteen year old Remus and adult Remus. Sometimes he found he couldn't tell the difference. Wait. I'm an adult in a teenager's body. Yeah, that's right. Don't forget that. It was easy to, when you were surrounded by so much teenage angst.

It was while he was pondering over this, that Remus realised that Felicity had dropped a piece of paper on the floor.

When he picked it up, he had assumed that it was a piece of homework or notes from a class. As he took one glance, his eyes froze over the doodled page from a transfiguration that he was vaguely familiar with. _No. _

Surrounded by thestrals, unicorns and various types of mushrooms and trees lay words that he knew quite well, purely because they had been mentioned merely thirty minutes ago by Ronald Weasley, who had teased that the speaker was insane but in a good way.

_I suspect Nargles are behind it._


End file.
